Homotransplantation of the Heart in Puppies Under Profound Hypothermia

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Abstract
A satisfactory technic for orthotopic homotransplantation of the heart under profound hypothermia without a pump-oxygenator has been presented. Twenty-four of 40 puppies survived more than 1 day; 13 lived more than 7 days. One dog is alive and well on the 112th postoperative day. The transplanted heart showed some irregularity shortly after operation, but the beat usually became regular on the 1st postoperative day and remained constant even after exercise. The puppies were normally active, and most laboratory findings were normal. The follow-up ECG record appears to be a fair indication of the fate of the transplant. Although histologic findings have not been uniform, homologous heart grafts have been accepted much better than expected. In long-term survivors, the heart size increased proportionally with the body and was reinnervated gradually. Such cases can probably be explained by unpredictable histocompatibility. Possible clinical application of cardiac homotransplantation in the future has been discussed from several standpoints.